While the Toronto Police Services Board is rightfully “exploring” options on how to investigate the police’s handling into what ended up being an admitted serial killer after all, it should be remembered Monday morning quarterbacking will not bring back the victims.

“The Board has been actively considering how to review the broader issues and questions and is exploring the most appropriate options at this time,” the TPSB said in a statement released Wednesday.

They will ask the Ministry of the Attorney General what it intends to do and also “consider the request from the Honourable Gloria Epstein to expand the scope of her Independent Civilian Review into Missing Persons Investigations.”

“As the Board has indicated through the establishment of this review, it is, and remains, committed to ensuring that an independent, comprehensive and transparent review is conducted into these significant issues affecting the public in general, and, in particular, our LGBTQ2S+, immigrant, homeless and other marginalized communities,” the TPSB said.

The Gay community rightfully wants this. And Mayor John Tory and Chief Mark Saunders have promised it will happen.

And it’s needed.

However, when it comes to blaming police, perspective is necessary. This was not a simple case. Police did not have bodies or crime scenes to forensically study. They had missing people.

And while there may have been mistakes made, Premier Doug Ford was correct to remind us of the outstanding police work by Insp. Hank Idsinga, Det. Dave Dickinson and their team of homicide investigators who made an arrest and saved a life during it.

Still, when it comes to wanting answers into how a mall Santa and landscaper was able to be free for so long to sexually torture, murder and dismember eight innocent men, there are four areas in need of clarity.

Acting Toronto Police homicide Insp. Hank Idsinga. (POSTMEDIA)

First and foremost is what reportedly happened in 2016 stemming from an incident in a restaurant parking lot.

As Sun reporter Sam Pazzano reported last March, a man went to police following a sexual encounter with McArthur outside a McDonald’s claiming he was strangled.

But McArthur made his way to the same police station and told cops it was consensual.

“Police took him at his word and he left without a charge being laid,” said a source.

Three more victims were murdered after this incident, prompting Pazzano to ask: Did cops let a serial killer slip through their fingers?

Idsinga later wrote a report about this to Toronto Police Professional Standards saying, “I’m not the one to decide whether mistakes are made or not, but I think it’s certainly needs to be investigated.”

Secondly, it would be interesting to learn from Chief Mark Saunders if his comment in December 2017 that there was “no evidence” of a serial killer was a diversionary tactic meant to avoid tipping off a suspect they were tailing and who was charged a month later?

Third is more information surrounding the heroics of Toronto Police in perhaps preventing a ninth victim. As I reported with Pazzano last January, when they took down McArthur in his Thorncliffe apartment they rescued a male who was “tied up” on McArthur’s bed.

“They cut him loose and checked him out medically,” said a police source. “He was OK.”

“They had to make a decision,” said a police source, adding “this young man was certainly lucky.”

The fourth area is to understand more about eighth victim Andrew Kinsman’s role in solving this.

In a “brief statement of facts” the crown said Kinsman wrote the name “Bruce” on his calendar on June 26th, 2017. Police discovered surveillance video showing Kinsman entering McArthur’s van where they later found his DNA and the “murder weapon.”

Did this action open the case up, thus shining alight on McArthur as the main suspect?

A swift,transparent and fair report is needed here more than score settling.

But however this is all probed, it is important to remember the bad guy is Bruce McArthur.

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